Basic Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
143. Advising us to Act with Virtue and Revealing the Benefits of Rebirth
Amitabha’s Pure Land is unconditioned and natural. It is a place where all virtues gather together, pure and adorned. It is a wonderful realm of the utmost truth. In the Pure Land Bodhisattvas are, of course, splendid. They are unlike ordinary beings in the defiled Land of Saha, which is contaminated with the Three Poisons, and is inverted and false from the point of view of virtues. Why does the Infinite Life Sutra say, “To cultivate virtues in the defiled Land of Saha is much better than in the Land of Infinite Life.” If this is so, can people just cultivate virtues in the Land of Saha, and do not need to aspire to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land?
Actually, this passage is meant to reveal the difference between the Difficult Path and Easy Path in terms of cultivation. It is not to compare the virtuous roots of the practitioners in the two lands. If it is the latter, Amitabha’s Pure Land is a realm of unconditioned Nirvana. Those reborn there are pure and virtuous, and naturally possess the Buddha’s qualities, such as the ability to deliver sentient beings.
Conversely, The Land of Saha is a world with five kinds of turbidity, abundant in wickedness, with few virtues, and full of evil causal conditions. Because of this, it is very difficult to successfully practice the virtues. However, despite this difficulty, one has the resolve to practice. Thus, the Buddha calls them rare and precious. It is just like a poor man who donates one cent in almsgiving. His merit and virtues are greater than a rich man who gives away a ton of gold.
(to be continued tomorrow)
143 對比勸善,彰往生益
彌陀淨土,無為自然,皆聚眾善,清淨莊嚴,第一義諦,妙境界相,淨土菩薩之善,理當殊勝;娑婆濁惡,三毒雜染,其善顛倒、虛偽,理當下劣。為何《無量壽經》說娑婆穢土修行「勝在無量壽國為善百歲」呢?若是如此,在這個娑婆世界用功修行即可,何以還要願生彌陀淨土?
其實經文在此是為了顯示二土修行的難易,而非比較善根的勝劣。如果要說善根的話,則彌陀淨土是無為的涅槃境界,純善無惡,往生自然成佛,自然度眾生。
相反,娑婆世界是五濁惡世,惡多善少,歷緣對境皆造惡因緣,所以在此行善甚為困難。難行卻還能有這分發心,因此佛陀讚美鼓勵此人「稀有難得」。如同貧者以真心布施一錢,其功德勝過富者施捨萬金的善行,因其心意難能可貴故。
Namo Amituofo!
